Spring Smoothtail (Epistrophe eligans)

Spring Smoothtail (Epistrophe eligans) Wing Length 6.25-9.5mm Flight Apr-Jun peaking in May

Species to spot in April

For some people spring arrives with the coming of the blossom, for others the emergence of daffodils and crocuses, the call of the Chiffchaff or the first bees, but I look for the emergence of the Spring Smoothtail (Epistrophe eligans). It is a common hoverfly strongly associated with the blossom of spring. It also signifies the start of the hoverfly season with more species emerging in the coming weeks and months. It gladdens my heart when I see them.

Its an anthropophilic species, which means it thrives in human modified areas. If you don’t know much about hoverflies this is a good one to start looking for, being easy to find in your garden or just beyond your garden gate. Especially along a hedgerow or woodland edge, sunny and with a tree in full blossom. The more northerly you are in the UK the less likely you are to spot them, especially so in Scotland where they can be localised.

HoverflySpotter Mar 26 Sightings – part 2

Bagworms, BugSnug, Didymodons & Hoverflies part 2

Welcome back to spring everyone🌸 🌼 🌷🌱🦋 🌞

If you haven’t read part 1 where I spot Bagworms and build a BugSnug then please click here

Bush full of flies

On the sunniest day of the week, I decided to go to Wentworth Woodhouse, with the hope of spotting a few pollinators. There were plenty of birds, Jackdaws, Crows, and Rooks on the large lawns, whilst Red Kites and Buzzards were circling overhead. I even heard a Little Owl which although I didn’t see it, I suspect it might have been in one of the holes in the wall. Along the glades were plenty of butterflies Brimstone, Peacock, and several Commas. As with most shrubbery at the moment, they were covered with 7 Spot and Harlequin ladybirds, so seeing a 10 spotted ladybird was a welcome new record to ladybird sightings for the year.

HoverflySpotter Mar 26 Sightings – part 1

Bagworms, BugSnug, Didymodons & Hoverflies part 1

I think spring might have sprung, many of my followers and subscribers are enjoying the sun, finding spring flowers and blossom, newly emerged queen bees, hearing chiffchaffs call their name and their first hoverflies - its pretty much the same in my locality. I find I have been away from my desk, spending more hours in the garden or surrounding countryside and even awoke this morning to a most glorious dawn chorus. 

Welcome to the spring everyone🌸 🌼 🌷🌱🦋 🌞

So, what have I been up to this week.

Guide to Flies of Britain & Ireland

A photographic guide to Flies of Britain & Ireland – First Impressions

Steven Falk, Gail Ashton, Rory Dimond & Peter Creed foreword by Erica McAlister

piscespublications (pbk) published 2026.

410 pages, +1500 photographs, illustrations, and distribution maps

ISBN 978-1-913994-16-7

A couple of weeks ago a book arrived through my letterbox that I had ordered last year. I don’t normally pre-order books, I normally await their publication before purchase, tending to buy it a couple of weeks or months later. But I knew I wanted this book and the reduced pre-order price was certainly an offer I couldn’t refuse.

When I unboxed it I thought I have seen this book before, it felt and looked familiar. I only had to look across to my bookshelves to see on the third shelf down Insects of Britain & Ireland by Paul D.Brock (2015). This is a super insect book but like most things I always felt there was more to flies that just the 100 pages that were dedicated to it. Don’t get me wrong it’s a comprehensive book full of great photographs with bees, dragonflies, moths and of course hoverflies but I have other more comprehensive books dedicated to those subject matters, so portions of the book were rarely used.

When I heard that there was going to be a book dedicated to flies, I just couldn’t wait for it to drop through my letter box.

Well, was the wait worth it?

Was the content what I expected or letdown as built-up hype often turns into? – for example, some Hollywood films. I had been following the production of this book more than any other…..

HoverflySpotter Feb 26 Sightings - Hotspot Found

HoverflySpotter sightings - hotspot found

Last week after going to see H is for Hawk at the local independent cinema, a film I highly recommend, I passed a Cherry Plum (Prunus cerusifera), a tree in full blossom. The sun was out and it was a warm day, surely, I couldn’t fail not to see a hoverfly, could I?

If I did spot a hoverfly it would be the first of the year.

There was nothing special about this Cherry Plum, its location was next to a busy through road. It was the start of the Trans Pennine Trail out of Barnsley and there were a few houses around. I had up to this point, over several days, scouted most of my local area for trees in blossom and have since found other Blackthorns and Cherry Plum trees in the vicinity but no hoverflies were to be spotted.

So did I succeed with this one tree…..